


Discoloured, No Dust

by bensbobby



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, I miss Abi Branning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mitchell family photo, One Shot, Reminiscing, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:55:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29718900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bensbobby/pseuds/bensbobby
Summary: "Callum didn't want to be nosy but their conversation was far from interesting and he'd never quite been able to just sit still and wait. He started looking around the office space they had, reading bits of paper stuck to the walls and taking in the mundane interior decoration choices. It wasn't sparking much interest in him, until he caught sight of something in the corner of his eye."Or Callum stumbles across a Mitchell family photo and plays guess who.Photo taken from episode 3/12/15
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 20
Kudos: 45





	Discoloured, No Dust

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic for this fandom so I apologise if it's a bit ropey! Not canon compliant just because the set up wouldn't work otherwise. This hasn't been beta'd so there's probably a typo in there somewhere.  
> Anyway here's some fluff followed by reminiscing about Abi - hope you enjoy!

If you want to watch the clip of the Mitchells taking the family photo in question, you can find that [here](https://youtu.be/KcLbs3HV08M%20)

====

Callum had stayed the night at Ben's flat again - it wasn't an uncommon occurrence nowadays, he spent a lot of time over there, but what was strange was that Ben wasn't still in bed. He almost never got up first. 

Still half asleep, Callum reached over to the other side of the bed in hope of finding Ben just a little further over than usual but was only met with empty sheets. They were warm under his palm so Ben must've only left in the past couple minutes. He rubbed his eyes and sat up slightly, squinting at the strip of sunlight flooding through the gap in the curtains, cursing himself for not fixing them last night when he'd noticed they weren't closed all the way - maybe that's why Ben woke up.

Neither of them had work today so he was looking forward to spending the morning lounging in bed. Hopefully he could locate his _almost_ -boyfriend (they hadn't exactly used the word yet but Callum was sure that was what they were) and coax him back there before the residual heat disappeared from under the duvet. When he heard the front door open and shut, that seemed less likely all of a sudden.

Checking the time on his phone *08:08* as he got out of bed, Callum made his way to the kitchen. Maybe it should have clicked in his head that when he was hearing another voice talking to Ben, that would mean someone else would be there. It didn't (he blames not being awake enough yet) and so he pushes the door to the kitchen wide open - revealing his choice of pyjama which consists of only boxers and one of Ben's t-shirts that was far too small for him.

Jay and Ben stopped their conversation mid-sentence. They both looked towards Callum, faces full of surprise at his entrance, trying to refrain from laughing at him because he'd gone bright red immediately, clearly not expecting Jay to see him like this.

Callum's mouth fell open and shut twice not knowing what to say. He'd met Jay before a few times, either at the car lot or when he'd come round Ben's to hang out and one time they'd gone out to a pub as a four (Jay's girlfriend Lola had joined them and Callum had liked her instantly). Despite them getting on well Callum felt awkward stood in front of him now, him and Ben vastly underdressed whilst Jay was in a black suit - smart coat and all.

"Alright Callum?" Jay asked in greeting. He looked rather happy to have caught the pair of them blushing at each other, a bit too happy for 8am on a Sunday. Callum managed to choke out a small 'alright' and a smile before Ben moved over to the kettle and absorbed his attention. 

"I made you a hot chocolate." Ben offered the mug to Callum who took it gladly, muttering a quick thank you and holding Ben's gaze. He hadn't been expecting such a nice surprise and seeing Ben - his _almost_ -boyfriend - so soft in the mornings melted his heart a bit. At that Ben looked away to the floor scratching the stubble on his chin in an attempt to dissipate the embarrassment he felt being so domestic in front of Jay. Ben Mitchell was not someone who did feelings - or at least that's what he wanted everyone else to think. In actuality Ben had a lot of feelings for Callum. The first time Jay met Callum he'd known that and it amused him that Ben was attempting to hide that from him when it was as clear as day. They'd known each other for years, there was no way he wouldn't know.

Ben cleared his throat before speaking again, his voice less gruff with sleep now.

"Jay needs me to go to the car lot for a bit and check out this deal because _apparently_ he's incapable of doing anything without me." Jay rolled his eyes but his face looked amused more than anything else. 

"It'll be 20 minutes tops and then you can get back to lover boy over 'ere." Callum choked slightly on his hot chocolate which of course only entertained Jay even more. He carried on:

"Look the deal closes in an hour, stop by and tell me what you think, alright?" Ben nodded begrudgingly and then Jay was walking past Callum and leaving the flat. 

Taking another sip of his hot chocolate, Callum's eyes lingered over where Jay had just left, the question of why Jay actually needed Ben's opinion for this on his day off on the tip of his tongue. As though Ben had read his mind, he explained himself:

"I'm sorry about him, it's big, could bring a lot of business and he wanted to run it by me properly. You can stay here if you like, or you could come with me, shouldn't take too long. Might even treat you to breakfast afterwards." Ben winked at Callum and then smirked when he had to look down before replying.

"Uh, yeah. I'll come with ya - can't turn down a free breakfast."

They got dressed for the day together and Ben couldn't help but mentally curse Jay for making them leave the house when Callum looked _that_ good in his clothes. As they stepped out of the front door Ben turned to the other man.

"I didn't wake you up, did I?" 

"No, just the sun." Callum replied simply. There was a chill in the air that made him miss the warmth of their bed - subconsciously, he walked a little closer alongside Ben before speaking again. 

"Why were you up so early?"

"Jay was blowing up my phone and the vibrate woke me up. Told him to shove it and then went downstairs to make you a hot chocolate when he let himself in... git." Callum smiled at the reminder of his hot chocolate, only just catching on to the last bit of Ben's sentence he'd uttered under his breath.

"Ben! He's your brother!" 

"Don't mean he's not a git." Callum started laughing and the sight of it made Ben smile. They'd been dating a little while now - Callum had met Jay, Lola and Kathy and had been mentioned to the rest of his family. However Ben tried his hardest to keep them at a safe distance because he really didn't want to have to put up with all the questions and didn't want Callum to be overwhelmed by it all. Ben had met Callum's brother just once. It was a quick interaction, Stuart had only had a two minute conversation with Callum and Ben happened to be there too. Stuart seemed to size him up for the entire duration of the encounter until rushing off somewhere else. Callum had said he'd warm up to Ben eventually, that he was just protective.

Neither of them had particularly wonderful childhoods and it was something they'd talked about a bit. Ben opening up more when he realised just how understanding Callum was. He didn't dig around for answers or question if Jay was really Ben's actual brother - he just accepted it. Callum referred to Jay as Ben's brother always, not just as his best mate. It made Ben feel warm inside, like he wouldn't be judged by Callum for the absolute mess that is his family. So Callum knew about Ben's family even if he hadn't met them all yet.

When they made it to the car lot Ben held open the door for Callum to walk through. He found Jay sat at his desk, paperwork in hand, looking slightly stressed. The man looked up from what he was reading surprised to see Callum with Ben. The awkwardness from this morning was gone and Callum gave a friendly wave in greeting. 

"You can sit at my desk while you wait." Ben offered to Callum, who happily complied and walked to the far side of the office. As he sat down in the chair he noticed how low the seat was and chuckled to himself, deciding not to adjust it in case he forgot to put it back to the height Ben needed. 

Ben and Jay were talking for quite a while, occasionally stopping to write something down or check the paperwork for reference. Callum didn't want to be nosy but their conversation was far from interesting and he'd never quite been able to just sit still and wait. He started looking around the office space they had, reading bits of paper stuck to the walls and taking in the mundane interior decoration choices. It wasn't sparking much interest in him, until he caught sight of something in the corner of his eye.

He didn't know how he hadn't seen it before when he'd come in here to meet Ben, it seemed glaringly obvious now, granted every time Callum had seen the desk it had been a mess so maybe it had always been concealed until now. There on the back corner of Ben's desk was a gold picture frame. It looked worn and discoloured but there was no dust on it at all. 

Before Callum knew what he was doing he reached forward and picked it up, holding it in his hands, bringing it closer so he could look in detail. Luckily neither Ben or Jay had noticed, both of them now talking on the phone to somebody on loud speaker.

The photo was maybe five years old Callum guessed. In it, Ben looked considerably younger with a clean-shaven face, a different haircut and glasses. Callum wondered when he'd changed from glasses to contact lenses every day. The thought of a young Ben always in his glasses made him smile - he looked cute when he wore them and Callum savoured the mornings where Ben would leave them on for a little while longer. 

It was a family photo he was sure, but he was struggling to place exactly who. Jay was the only other person in the photo he recognised. He looked younger too - though he hadn't changed his appearance much since. Callum deduced it was probably Ben's dad's side of the family because Kathy wasn't in it and none of the men pictured looked like they could be Ben's older brother.

The man taking the picture, with a selfie stick, and in the centre of the group seemed to be Ben's dad. He looked happy, mouth in an open grin like he'd been speaking mid-picture. His eyes weren't quite looking at the camera, perhaps telling of his age. From this picture you'd think he was a jolly man but from what he'd heard from Ben, it was actually quite the opposite. 

The photo was odd, with half the family dressed up smart in suits and shirts and fancy coats whilst the other half were dressed as elves, cheeks rosy with face paint. There had clearly been some kind of miscommunication about the dress code but Callum liked that they were mismatched. It was a fun photo. The elf costumes were a clear indicator that the photo was taken in December and he could tell from the background that they were stood in the square gardens. 

Callum went back to picking out the faces. The four elves were a complete mystery to Callum - they appeared to be their own family unit and Ben hadn't mentioned any non-immediate family members to him. The two kids in the photo: one boy and one girl, looked quite young and similar in age. Maybe they were twins or if they weren't, they couldn't have been more than two years apart at most. Cousins seemed like the most likely option of family relation to Ben. 

On the right side of the photo there was another young kid. A woman - presumably the child's mum - had her arm around his shoulders. The little boy looked a close age to the other kids, probably around eight or nine. If this photo was taken around five years ago that would mean it was Ben's younger brother Denny. According to Ben he was a right piece of work now at the age of fourteen, always fighting to get his way no matter what. 

If the little boy was Denny, Callum realised the woman holding him was Ben's step mum, Sharon. She looked nice in the picture - hair and makeup done especially for the occasion. Ben didn't talk about her much or at least not as much as he did Denny. He wondered silently to himself when she'd married Ben's dad. Ben only ever referred to her as Sharon, not step mum, so Callum concluded it couldn't have been since he was little. 

His eyes flicked back to the middle where Ben and Jay were. In between them stood a blonde girl with pink cheeks and a sunny disposition. Callum hadn't met Ben's younger sister Louise but he'd seen a picture of her once. He knew she was blonde and wasn't that much younger than Ben compared to the rest of his siblings who seemed to be decades apart. Though in the photo he was holding, the girl looked almost the same age as Ben and Jay. Louise would have been 14 around the time this was taken and this girl looked older than that. The face didn't seem familiar either so maybe it wasn't Louise. It definitely wasn't Lola and Callum didn't know any other family member or old friend that it could be. Maybe Louise just looked old for her age. 

He did a once over of the photo again, taking in all the bright smiles and crinkled eyes before going to put it back on the desk where he'd found it. As Callum looked up he realised Ben and Jay were no longer on the phone, having finalised whatever deal it was they were making. Ben was staring at Callum and he suddenly felt like he'd overstepped a boundary of sorts.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to." Callum blurted out, quickly placing the frame down flat in front of him. He knew family was a touchy subject for Ben, so why on earth was he trying to dissect a family photo that had been buried under paperwork for weeks? Callum was ready to start another string of apologies before he was interrupted.

"Nah it's alright, one of my favourite photos actually." Ben assured him. Callum seemed to calm down at that - glad that he hadn't upset Ben. 

Maybe it was an unpopular choice of favourite Mitchell family photo considering his aunts had been banned from joining and his dad was an alcoholic in denial at the time. Ben came to find that most of the pictures they'd taken had been tainted somehow but he supposes those are the joys of having a difficult family. Every photo holds memories, good and bad alike.

He did like this one though. Billy, Honey and the kids looked utterly ridiculous in the elf hats. They all wore big smiles and maybe if you showed this to a stranger they would think everyone involved was genuinely happy at the time. It was nice to have so many people included even if it didn't cover half of his family. It was a good photo.

Callum picked up the frame again from where he'd left it, glancing at it quickly before smiling at Ben.

"You look good in this." Callum told Ben - although he didn't share the same opinion.

"Yeah right, with those glasses?" Ben quipped. Callum wanted to tell Ben just how much he loved his glasses but refrained for now, opting to wait for when they were alone together again. He didn't need to pour his heart out in front of Jay, especially after this morning. He decided to change the subject.

"Jay ain't changed a bit. How long ago was this taken?" The question wasn't aimed at Ben or Jay in particular, he was still hesitant about asking too much and thought with Jay involved in the conversation, it left less room for a misstep.

"December, 2015 I think." Ben replied. He was smiling fondly at the photo or was it directed at Callum? He couldn't tell.

"You worked out who everyone is yet?" Jay asked, curious to know just how much Callum knew about them all. 

"Uhh not quite, a few." 

"Go on then, enlighten us on your discoveries." Ben prompted. Now this would be a real test of how closely Callum listened to him - not that he expected Callum to get the answers right at all but it was a fun game to play.

"Right..." Callum started, tilting the picture towards Ben and Jay so that they could see.

"Obviously that's you and Jay in the middle there at the back. Then your dad in the front, taking the photo. I'll be honest I don't know who the elves are - cousins or something maybe? I worked out the boy on the right is Denny 'cos he's fourteen now I know that and the ages match up. So that means the woman is Sharon because that's Denny's mum. I thought the girl between you and Jay could have been Louise but she looks a little too old." 

Ben and Jay looked impressed at his deduction skills - it was pretty good considering he'd been guessing. They walked over from where they were at Jay's desk so they could see the photo close up. 

"Not bad mate." Jay said. He took the photo frame from Callum and pointed to the man in the elf costume on the left.

"That's Billy - he's Lola's grandad. Also Phil's , that Ben's dad but I guess you know that , Phil's cousin. Or second cousin actually I'm not sure." Callum was nodding along, trying to take in all the information.

"And that's Honey, his ex-wife. And their kids Janet and Will." Jay gave the photo back over to Callum so he could look at them all again. Ben hadn't mentioned any of their names before to Callum but he'd overheard him talking to Jay about Billy. Perhaps he wasn't that close with them compared to the rest of his family.

"Was I right about the rest then?" Callum asked, this time directing the question at Ben, tilting the photo towards him.

"Almost. You were right about Sharon and Dad and Denny. That isn't Louise though." Ben pointed to the blonde girl at the back. Callum really didn't want to pry but curiosity got the better of him.

"Who is she then?" 

"Abi, she was uh-" He couldn't quite admit that the 'out and proud and very gay' Ben Mitchell had once had a long-term girlfriend but Jay got there before he could come up with something else.

"His ex." Callum's eyes widened because this was the absolute last thing he'd expected. He turned to stare at Ben in shock mouth agape. 

"You never told me you had a girlfriend." Callum's tone was shock mixed with teasing and Ben couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. Jay decided this was the perfect opportunity to add fuel to the fire.

"For over a year - they lived together and everything." Somehow Callum had managed to open his eyes even wider. He tried to get words out but only managed a screechy 'what?'. It took Ben to nod in confirmation for it to sink in to Callum's brain and he could finally shut his mouth again. He couldn't stop staring at Ben though so Ben tried to shift the focus onto Jay.

"Don't look at me like that, Jay dated her too!" This earned an eye roll from Callum.

"Jay isn't gay, Ben!" 

"Yeah well it was a rough time alright." Ben's tone was light-hearted but Callum decided to drop it for now anyway, even if he made a mental note to bring this up again at a later date. A part of him wanted to know absolutely everything there was to know about Ben.

"So you're telling me you both dated the same poor girl?" 

"Yep. Even lived together in our own house afterwards." Jay answered, quite happy to talk about Abi.

"Really?" Callum pushed - not quite believing this scenario.

"Yeah me, Ben, Abi and another mate all lived together after we'd both dated her. Wasn't as awkward as you might think though." 

"Are you still friends with her now?" As soon as Callum asked he regretted it. Both Ben and Jay's faces dropped slightly and he could tell he'd gotten carried away with wanting to know about Ben's past and gone too far. Ben's lips formed a sad smile and his eyes found Abi's face in the picture.

"No, she uh- she died a couple years ago actually." 

"Ben I am so sorry." Callum apologised - scolding himself mentally for bringing it up.

"It's alright Cal, honestly, you didn't know. Haven't spoken about her in a while actually..." Ben didn't seem too upset and Callum breathed a sigh of relief. He noticed that Jay too looked fond of the memory of her rather than sad at it. Callum expected them to drop the conversation, to turn back to Jay's desk, maybe change the topic to the weather or say goodbye. He didn't expect Ben to pull his phone out his pocket and show Callum an old photo of the pair of them together.

"I reckon you'd 've liked her. She used to work at the vets - loved it to bits. Even worked in the Vic kitchen for a while. Used to cook me and Jay dinner when we all lived at dad's." Ben turned the phone back to himself, scrolling until he found another photo - this time they were much younger, 10 years old with not a care in the world. Callum couldn't help but notice how innocent Ben looked.

"We were friends ever since we were little. Didn't always get along though - she was sensitive, got jealous easy, used to label all of her food so we wouldn't eat it. Overbearing at times but I reckon that was just down to how loving she was." Jay seemed to nod in agreement before adding on to Ben's sentence.

"Proper cared for both of us, she did - even if she made some bad choices along the way." Jay traced his finger over her face in the picture smiling to himself. "You could wind her up real easy when she was in a bad mood. Other times though - when she wasn't so serious or stressed - she was a lot of fun, almost goofy when she let herself go."

Callum felt touched that Ben was letting him into this part of his life. It felt like private information: the memory of someone Ben had known for years who had passed away. From what he could tell it was a complicated relationship - probably not easy to talk about but he'd wanted to share it with Callum anyway. He liked hearing about Ben's past and finding out more and more about him, piecing the puzzle of Ben Mitchell together. They were in a good place right now and Callum wanted more than anything to call Ben _his_ officially. He turned his attention back to the photo - distracting himself from thoughts of Ben by focusing on Abi's face.

"She seemed lovely. Really pretty too." 

"Yeah well Ben has been punching all his life." Jay quipped, which earned him an 'Oi!' from Ben and a punch to his upper arm. The atmosphere was warm and light, laughter still bubbling around the three men. Callum gave Ben a look that held the underlying message of 'I think you're the most beautiful person' and he could tell that Ben understood it when he cleared his throat to try to get rid of the shy smile creeping on his face. It amazed him that they could have these silent conversations and know exactly what the other was thinking.

"Right now you've finished bullying me, _we_ are going to get breakfast before I starve to death." Ben held out his hand to Callum, which he took quickly, squeezing it once upon interlocking their fingers together. They bade Jay farewell as Ben dragged him out of the office, leaving the photo frame flat on Ben's desk, square in the middle, pride of place.

The following day when Ben returned to work, he cleared the stack of miscellaneous papers to make room for the picture. If Ben happened to reminisce more about Abi with Lola and Jay and Callum no one said anything about it. No one mentioned how much more he'd opened up since that day, or how he'd been a lot more happy overall. Everyone knew it was down to Callum - it didn't need to be said aloud.

Ben began to make a habit of taking pictures, of printing them off and framing them for everyone to see because Ben wanted to show off his boyfriend (yes, now it was _just_ boyfriend) to the world - so one day in the future he could reminisce about these moments too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! I would not have written this had it not been for the wonderful Jelly, Josie, Emily, Chloe + Soph on twitter- I love you all ! Thank you for encouraging me <3 If you've left a kudos or a comment just know that you've absolutely made my week.  
> You can find me on twitter @bensbobby if you ever wanna join me in screaming into the void :)


End file.
